Series 1: Episode 8 (Life on Mars)
The eighth, and final, episode of the first series of the British time-travel police-procedural television series, Life on Mars, was first broadcast on 27 February 2006. The episode, known erroneously as "The Good Father", was produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One. Synopsis Manchester CID is intent on stopping a new gang in town, the Morton brothers, but they have to find them first. The trail leads from a pair of armed thugs to Vic Tyler, Sam Tyler's father. Sam tries to prove his dad is just ordinary citizen trying nto protect his family from gangsters, but Gene Hunt finds the evidence pointing to Vic as a major player. Sam, remembering that his dad left the family about this time (1973), and becomes convinced that by making Vic stay, he will get home himself. Events come to a head at a family wedding where Sam learns the truth about his father and his own past. Plot Sam Tyler is woken up by a visit from the Test Card Girl. She seems to mock him for being unable to get home, but he insists he’s here for a reason. Sam has an Unreality Flash that we’ve seen before—a heartbeat, the woods, the buckled shoes, rapid breathing, a glimpse of an arm dressed in black or dark blue, a child's voice whispering, “Where are you?" Gene Hunt, with Sam, Chris Skelton, and Ray Carling in the car are chasing armed thugs and run them into a dead end. As the crooks are about to reverse into the officers, another smashes into them, killing them both. Gene is disappointed as the dead men were their only lead to the Morton brothers, mysterious gangsters looking to take over from Warren (see Life on Mars Series 1: Episode 4). Sam finds a postcard in the car that leads them to a hotel room. CID burst into the hotel room to find a man who claims to know nothing about the Morton’s. Sam is shocked to recognize the man as his long-lost father, Vic Tyler. Back at the station, Sam has more visions, and hears his mother’s voice telling him that his father has gone away, just as his real mother told when he was four. Once again, he confides in Annie, but tries to convince Gene that Vic is innocent and should be let go. Gene wants to stop the Mortons, and questions Vic until he admits he was at the hotel for a card game, but still claims he is just a salesman who gambles a bit. Vic is released, but Gene insists on searching his house. Sam is sheepish when his young mother recognizes him from the events in Series 1: Episode 4 and has to admit his name is Tyler and not “Bolan” as he claimed. After the search, Sam endures Gene’s crude remarks about Mrs. Tyler. Sam wants to leave Vic alone, but Gene produces a bookie’s receipt he found in the house, and they go to check it out. At the bookie’s, Gene leans on Jimmy Lips who directs them to a snooker club where they find a pornography operation. Back at the station, Sam dials a number found at the club and is shocked to hear his younger self answer the phone. He tells Gene the number was disconnected. In the corridor, Sam has more visions and hears the radio race commentators saying that his condition in 2006 is improving. He tells Annie that he believes stopping his father from leaving the family will send him back home. Meanwhile, CID have discovered footage of Vic Tyler at one of the porn film shoots. Questioning him again, Vic claims he was forced to peddle porn by the Mortons to pay off gambling debts. CID decide to use Vic to draw out the Mortons. Vic and Sam go to a phone box to wait for a call Vic was told to expect. While they wait, Sam gets his dad to kick around a ball on a nearby green. When the call comes, Vic tells Sam that he’s to go to the snooker club. At the club, Sam , Gene, Ray, and Chris wait outside when they hear gunshots. Rushing inside, they find two men shot, one of them Jimmy Lips. Vic is found cowering in the back room, but claims he saw nothing. Before Jimmy dies he says, “key” to Gene. Meanwhile, Vic disappears. Sam and Annie go to the Tylers’ house in search of Vic, but no one’s there. Sam lets them in with a key from under the bin. Sam tries to convince Annie that the Tylers are his parents, but she is still sceptical. When he finds a Bobby Charlton cigarette card Sam is sure his dad will return for it. Annie recommends a psychiatrist. Hours later, Sam is woken by his father entering the house. Vic seems moved by Sam’s plea that he stay with the family and vows to do so. After Vic leaves, Sam hears voices from his future hospital bed and is sure he’s about to wake up … then, nothing. At the Railway Arms, Nelson offers sage advice. Gene comes in and they realize that Jimmy Lips’s dying clue could mean “quay”, not “key”. At a building by the canal, CID find another porn shoot going on. Gene vows to bring Vic Tyler in and demands Sam’s help. Sam remembers that his dad left them at a family wedding, and he fights his way past Gene to leave. At the Woodbank Community Centre, Sam spots his parents inside, dancing. His recurring vision becomes clearer and he sees his father hitting a woman in a red dress. Sam spots Annie, wearing a red dress and telling Gene over the radio that she’s following Vic into the wood. Sam then has the bizarre experience of telling his younger self to wait while he goes to find his daddy. In the wood, Sam relives his vision. He interrupts Vic and Annie just as Vic starts to hit her. Vic drops a gun, which Sam picks up. Vic wants it back, and Sam seems about to give it to him when Gene arrives and explains his theory that the “Morton Brothers” are really just Vic Tyler. During a stand-off between Gene and Sam, Vic runs off. Sam catches him and gives him the gun. To Sam’s horror, Vic tries to shoot him, not knowing that Sam removed the bullets. Racked with emotion and besieged by voices, Sam realizes his dad really is a crook and that he is right to leave his family. Sam lets him go. Sam returns to the wedding and tells his mother that Vic is gone and to tell little Sammy he’s on the road—just like his mother told him. Annie tells Sam he won’t wake up because this is real. Sam disagrees, but touches Annie’s cheek, telling her he doesn’t hate everything about this place. Chris laments having lost a bet on whether Gene or Sam would be the first to pull a gun on the other. Sam wants to go home, but a quick vote sends them to the pub. Cast *Sam Tyler — John Simm *Gene Hunt — Philip Glenister *Chris Skelton — Marshall Lancaster *Ray Carling — Dean Andrews *Annie Cartwright — Liz White *Nelson — Tony Marshall *Phyllis Dobbs — Noreen Kershaw *Test Card Girl — Rafaella Hutchinson *Vic Tyler — Lee Ingleby *Ruth Tyler — Joanne Froggatt *Jimmy Lipps — Matt Cross *Young Sam — Alexander O'Loughlin Cultural references Chris says the thugs have to stop because "We're the force" and Sam replies with "May the Force be with you", 'the famous quote from the ''Star Wars movies. The first of the six Star Wars movies was released in 1977, four years after Life on Mars is set. “'''Clunk, click, every trip.” says Ray, looking at the thugs killed in the car crash. "Clunk Click Every Trip" was the slogan of a series of British public information films sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), commencing in January 1971 and starring popular radio and TV host Jimmy Savile. The ads highlighted the dangers of being thrown through the windscreen in a traffic collision and reminded drivers that the first thing they should do after closing the door ("Clunk") is fasten their seatbelt ("Click"). Pippi Longstocking is a fictional child character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series. By saying Sam thinks of Vic as Pippi Longstocking, Gene seems to mean “innocent”, but there may be some irony in the fact that she was not what she seemed—she also had super-strength semi-magical powers. Jimmy Lips says he's heard of the Morton's "work the races" and dismisses them as being a "Tic-tac men with a bit of front." Tic-tac is a traditional method of signs used by bookmakers to communicate the odds of certain horses. It is still used in on-course betting in the UK. A tic-tac man will usually wear bright white gloves to allow their hand movements to be easily seen. Gene Announces CID's arrival at the snooker club with, "Ding-Dong, Avon calling,” the well known branding catch phrase of Avon Products Inc., famous for selling cosmetics door-to-door. Sam, looking at the porn film titles, reads off "A Fistful of Donnas," and "A Few Donnas More." Gene replies, "If Sergio Leone knew what they were doing..." A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More are two “spaghetti” westerns made by Italian director Sergio Leone. Sam scoffs at the description of the films as hard-core, claiming he's "seen worse on Channel Four." Channel 4 is a British public-service state-owned television broadcaster, which began working on 2 November 1982. It has at different times shown risqué films unedited. Gene playfully refers to Sam as "my little Deputy Dawg." Deputy Dawg was a cartoon character from a series of syndication shows produced by Terrytoons. Although only a small number were produced in the early sixties, they were re-run more than long enough for Gene to know the character in 1973. Sam says, "My dad gave me this cigarette card. Signed. Bobby Charlton." Cigarette cards are trade cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and promote their brands. Sports heroes, such as Bobby Charlton, were popular subjects. Production *"The Man Who Sold the World", the seventh episode of the U.S. series, is an adaptation of this episode. Music *Friday 13th - Atomic Rooster *The Rock - Atomic Rooster *Tokolshe Man - John Kongos *In the Snow - Atomic Rooster *Devil's Answer - Atomic Rooster *See My Baby Jive - Wizzard *Life on Mars? - David Bowie *Meet Me on the Corner - Lindisfarne *Little Bit of Love - Free Viewing figures *This episode gained 7.1 million viewers and a 28% audience share. Analysis *In the original timeline, during a wedding reception, Sam Tyler as a child witnesses his father, Vic Tyler, beat a woman in a red dress, presumably Annie Cartwright. In the altered timeline, Sam Tyler instructs little Sam Tyler to stay inside, changing history, preventing little Sam from witnessing his father beat Annie. The reason Annie Cartwright was present at the wedding reception in the first place was from Sam Tyler's future knowledge of his father's location. Annie Cartwright being present at the wedding reception in the original timeline presents a grandfather paradox since she would not have known Vic Tyler's location without Sam Tyler's future knowledge. Category:Life on Mars (UK) episodes